Julian shifted his position slightly, his fingers gripping Elena’s neck and chin with a firmer, high-tension focus that made it impossible for her to turn away. His expression was a mix of desperation and authority, the face of a man used to getting whatever he desired without question. "One night," he repeated, his tone firm and unyielding, cutting through Elena’s desperate pleas like a blade.
At that exact moment, a floorboard near the entrance creaked softly beneath Victoria's weight. Julian turned his head sharply toward the sound, his posture stiffening as his eyes locked onto his tearful wife standing in the doorway. A low, tense drone seemed to fill the air as time stood still. The secret meeting was fully exposed under the bright light of the morning sun, leaving no room for denial or excuses.
Victoria stared at her husband, her face twisted in high emotional distress as tears ruined her fresh complexion. "What is she doing here?" Victoria whispered, her voice cracking with pure heartbreak as she looked from Julian to the weeping maid. The question hung in the air, heavy with a decade of accumulated trust that had just been shattered in a matter of seconds.
Instead of immediately releasing the maid and rushing to his wife's side to apologize, Julian looked back toward Elena, his expression remaining intense and unresolved. Elena took advantage of his moment of distraction to shove his hands away, stumbling backward against the glass dining table, her chest heaving as she sobbed into her hands, completely overwhelmed by the nightmare she had been dragged into.